Factors affecting yield, quality, and prices of Tomato

A warm season crop, sensitive to frost. It is usually cultivated in sub-tropical and mild cold climatic regions. It thrives well in temperature 10⁰C to 30⁰C with optimum range of temperature is 21-24⁰C. The mean temperature below 16⁰C and above 27⁰C are not desirable. Thus temperature affects the germination, crop standing and ultimately affects yield, quality and price.

Tomatoes do very well on most mineral soils, but they prefer deep, well drained sandy loams. Deep tillage can allow for adequate root penetration in heavy clay type soils, which allows for production in these soil types. Tomato is a moderately tolerant crop to a wide pH range. A pH of 5.5- 6.8 is preferred though tomato plants will do well in more acidic soils with adequate nutrient supply and availability. Tomato is moderately tolerant to acid soils that is pH of 5.5.

Soils extremely high in organic matter are not recommended due to the high moisture content of this media and nutrient deficiencies. But, as always, the addition of organic matter to mineral soils will increase yield.

In heavy soils if drainage is not provided, higher moisture content and water stagnation causes ill effects on tomato that is fruit quality deteriorate due to spots on fruits, incidence of pest and diseases.

With selection of good soil type for tomato cultivation there is a good stand of crop which ultimately gives good quality fruits, higher yield which fetches good price in the market and reverse of this fetches less price in the market.

Tomatoes have been observed to withdraw water from depths up to 13 feet in a well structured soil. Tomato plants require adequate moisture throughout their growth period. First irrigation is required soon after seedlings are transplanted. Frequent water is necessary in root zone when plants are small. In summer irrigation at intervals of 3-4 days and 10-15 days water is necessary to maintain wet soil.

Tomatoes are a heavy water user and require frequent irrigation to delay maturity and prolong plant productivity.

Erratic moisture conditions can cause radial and concentric cracking on fruit. This is a serious physiological disorder that leave the affected tomatoes unmarketable and quickly deteriorating. Cat facing, blossom scar and puffiness can be related to soil moisture variability.

Tomato fruit having physiological disordered are unmarketable. Good quality tomato fruits gain more price in market.

In tomato cultivation addition capital input required for weed control, plant growth regulator and also on pesticides, fungicides.

Seed treatment with B. naphthoxyacetic acid (BNOA) at 25 and 50 ppm, gibberllic acid (GA3) at 5-20 ppm and chlorophenoxy acetic at 10 and 20 ppm was found to improve the growth and yield of tomato.

Pre-emergence applications of herbicides like metribuzin at 0.35 kg/ha, fluchloralin 1.25 kg/ha has been found effective to increase the tomato yield significantly in comparison to traditional method of hand weeding.

Spraying of PCPA at 50 ppm, IAA at 50 ppm or borax 1% gave the fruit set in summer season. PCPA spray at flowering stage was observed to create favorable conditions for fruit set in low as well as high temperatures.

Soil and tissue analyses should be taken throughout the growing and production season to insure essential nutrients are in their proper amounts and ratios. The nitrogen in adequate quantity increases fruit quality, fruit size, color and taste. It also helps in increasing desirable acidic flavor. Adequate amount of potassium is also required for growth, yield and quality. Mono Ammonium Phosphate (MAP) may be used as a starter fertilizer to supply adequate phosphorus during germination and seedling stages. Calcium availability is also very important to control soil pH and nutrient availability. Sandy soils will require a higher rate of fertilizer, and more frequent applications of these fertilizers due to increased leaching of essential nutrients. Tissue analysis of a nutritionally sufficient plant will show the following nutrient status:

	Nitrogen	Phosphorus	Potassium	Calcium	Magnesium	Sulphur
%	4.0-5.6	0.30-0.60	3.0-4.5	1.25-3.2	0.4-0.65	0.65-1.4

ppm	Manganese	Iron	Boron	Copper	Zinc
	30-400	30-300	20-60	5-15	30-90

In the present situation it has been realized that the use of inorganic fertilizers should be integrated with renewable and environmental friendly organic fertilizers, crop residues and green manures, 90-100 kg nitrogen (N,) 60-70 kg Phosphorus (P₂O5), and 50-60 kg muriate of potash (K₂O) are recommended per hectare for successful tomato crop.

Tomatoes are subject to a large number of pests from the time plants first emerge to harvest. Aphids, flea beetles, leaf miners, and spider mites are a problem to plant bed tomatoes. Flea beetles, aphids, leaf miners, stink bugs and fruit worms cause foliage damage in the field. But their fruit damage and disease Spreading problems can be very serious.

These pests are divided into two groups: pests that feed on the upper plant and pests that feed on the lower plant. The upper plant feeders either mine leaves, bore into fruit and buds, chew holes in leaves or are sap suckers. The pests that mine leaves or bore into fruits and buds are the fruit worms, bud worm, pinworm, and leaf miner. The pests that chew holes in leaves are the blister beetle, cabbage lopper, Colorado potato beetle, flea beetle, and hornworms.

Control measure
Spraying of cypernethrin at the rate of 3-4 ml or for phosphamidon (85 SL) 5 ml per 10 litre of water at the interval of 8-10 days.

Control measure
Spraying of monocrotophos (36 SL) 5 ml/ 10 litre of water at the interval of 8-10 days. Trichograma and campoletic cloride as a predator and heliocil as biological control.

It can be control by spraying dimethoate (30 E.C.) 10 ml/10 litre of water. The controls vary from state to state and region to region. The local agricultural chemical manual will list controls and rates for each pest.

Following are the diseases of tomato, which control by following methods of fungicide application: -

Disease	Symptoms	Fungicide	Method of application
Anthracnose (Colletotrichum phomoides)	Recognized by its sunken spots on the fruit	Rotation is the major control for this disease.	-
Bacterial fruit spot	On leaves small, water soaked, brown spots appear on the older leaflets. Under favourable conditions these spots may coalesce to form dark streaks. The affected leaves turn yellow and blighting of the foliage may take place.	Streptocycline (100PPm) or copper fungicides	Spraying
Tomato leaf curl	Leaf curl disease is characterized by severe stunting of the plants with downward rolling and crinkling of the leaves. The newly emerging leaves exhibit slight yellow colouration and later they also show curling symptoms, older leaves become leathery and brittle.	Disease is transmitted by whitefly hence to check the whitefly population use insecticides fuadan or disyston @1kg ai/ha.	Soil application, treating the nursery beds with granular insecticides.
Tomato big bud	The youngest fruit truss, instead of becoming recurved as in normal plants, assumes an upright position. The buds on the truss also point in a vertical direction, the calyx segments remain united almost to the tips, and the whole calyx enlarges to a form like a bladder with a toothed opening at the top.	Metasystox (0.02%) or nuvacron (0.05%) at ten days intervals to control the insect vector (leaf hopper) population.	Spraying
Early blight	On established plants, dark brown spots with concentric rings develop first on old leaves. Spotted leaves die prematurely leading to early defoliation.	Mancozeb @ 0.2%	Foliar spray
Late blight	Leaves and fruits are affected. Irregular greasy greyish areas develop on leaves. Under moist conditions these areas expand rapidly and a white downy growth appears on the lower surface of the affected leaves. Affected leaf dries and shrivels quickly.	Mancozeb @ 0.2%	Foliar spray
Septoria leaf spot	Appearance of numerous, small, grey coloured circular leaf spots with dark margin is the characteristic symptom of the disease.	Mancozeb @2 g/kg. 0.2% Dithane Z-78	Seed treatment Foliar spraying
Leaf mould/black mould	It is recognized by the presence of a yellowish area on the upper leaf surface with brown mouldy growth on the lower surface. As the lesions develop, the leaves wilt and die.	Mancozeb @ 0.2%	Foliar spray
Wilt	It is characterized by yellowing and wilting of leaves and finally the entire plant wilts and dies prematurely. Often the stem tissue is discoloured throughout the plant.	0.1% carbendazim or benomyl	Soil drenching
Powdery mildew	A white talcum like covering on the lower surface of the leaves while the corresponding upper surface turns yellow. Premature dropping of infected leaves are common.	Dinocap at 0.1% or Wet sulphur at 0.2%	Spraying
Bacterial wilt	Infected plant parts when cut and immersed in clear water, a white streak of bacterial ooze coming out from the cut ends is visible.	Streptocycline (1g/40 lit) Bleaching powder @ 15 kg/ha.	Seed treatment for 30 min. Dusting/soil application.

To obtain desirable qualitative high yield, timely control of pest and diseases of tomato is very essential. Damaged and affected fruits are non-marketable which causes loss in production.

The harvest of tomatoes is dependent on the closeness to the market. Local sale of tomatoes may be vine ripened to a firm ripe or a full red color before harvesting. Mature green fruit are bulk packed in ventilated containers for shipment. Those picked to be shipped are picked at the mature green stage and sprayed with ethylene 48 hours prior to shipping. Tomatoes for the fresh market are generally hands picked. Processing tomatoes are picked fully ripe.

Full ripe tomatoes are stored at a temperature of 55�F for up to several days. Temperatures cooler than this will cause chilling injury, producing poor colors and off flavors.

Due to improper storage, there is a loss in fresh weight of about 10-15%. This causes them to appear shriveled and stale, thus considerably lowering their market value and consumer acceptability. Proper storage facilities are important in stabilizing the supplies by carrying over the produce from periods of high production to periods of low production.

In the absence of storage facilities, the producer would be forced to put his products on the market soon after harvest, immaterial of the demand. Thus resulting in a glut and market stagnation with consequent loss to the producer. This would benefit the consumer since the prices would drop. But, the farmer could price the very high when the demand is greater than the supply.

Recommended storage temperature, Relative Humidity (RH) and average storage life for tomato: -

This is a time tested reliable method used for retention of freshness and extending shelf life of fresh produce as it reduces rate of respiration and thermal decomposition. Chilling injury may erode the quality of fruits if storage temperature is less than 12.5⁰C.

By treating ethylene either as a dip treatment or gaseous exposure using Etherl as a source of ethylene, uniform accelerated ripening can be obtained. Further, by removing the ethylene produced by fruit with the use of ethylene absorbent either prepared indigenously or by use of ‘purafil’ (commercial form of ethylene absorbent), significant extension of shelf life.

Evaporation of moisture from tomato causes wilting and shriveling, resulting in weight loss. The process of evaporative cooling is an adiabatic exchange of heat when ambient air is passed through a saturated surface to obtain low temperature and high humidity, which are desirable for extending the storage life of tomato.

It is controlled ventilation system, which regulates the gas levels in the storage environment by recycling on selective gas permeation. The membrane makes use of ability of the polymer to allow the selective passage of gases at different rates according to their physical and chemical properties.

A farmer wants higher profits to improve his economic status but the consumer wants to purchase it at a cheaper rate. If he needs a better quality, he is willing to pay the price for it.

Tomato as a traditional crop with an export potential. The specific requirements of tomato for export in Middle Eastern countries is round, medium size and red colour while cherry type is preferred for export to European countries. The puree and paste i.e., processed products of tomato have good demand in external markets.

The wholesale market is a cardinal link in the market channel connecting rural production centre to rural and urban distribution and consumption points. It is at the wholesale market that the bulk of the tomato arrives daily from local producing areas or from nearby markets for sale to end consumers. The main physical function, of the wholesale markets is to break large quantities received by it into small lots to meet the requirements of various buyers.

The major producing states are Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana.

For tomato in every state there is a local market at each level of marketing. Following table shows the aggregate average wholesale prices of tomato during November 1999 (per quintal) at different places.

Market Places	Average price (Rs. Per Quintal)
Bangalore	530
Mumbai	660
Calcutta	1532
Chandigarh	1089
Delhi	1075
Hyderabad	810
Lucknow	1143
Chennai	444
Nagpur	680
Trivandrum	917
Vijayawada	719
Nasik	378
Pune	435
Agra	1036
Madurai	993

In case of tomato there is large demand of processed products. Though no industrial license is required for setting up fruit and vegetable product industries, setting up 100% export oriented units (EOU) require specific government approvals. This sector is regulated by the fruit product order, 1955 (FPO), issued under the essential commodities ACT. Tomato processing industries are eligible for automatic approval of foreign technology agreement and upto 51% foreign equity participation.

National Horticulture Board has established 33 market information centres in the country called NHB-NET, which send market information statistics to a coordination cell, which compiles the market rates and arrival trends of fruits and vegetables of commercial importance. Due to perishable in nature major losses occur during harvesting, post harvest handling, storage, transportation etc.

Most of the programmes of the Board are, therefore, aimed at creating better post-harvest handling facilities, improved marketing including exports and induce modern concepts and techniques in the field of Horticulture. NHB with a view to promote adoption of these technologies for reducing losses and thereby increasing the availability of quality produce to the consumers at competitive rates and more remunerative prices to the farmers by eliminating middle man’s margin. In case plastic crates, NHB assistance would be provided in the form of subsidy upto 50% of the actual cost or Rs.70/- per crate whichever is less. Assistance for plastic crates in the form subsidy should also be provided to the individual farmers through States Department of Horticulture/Farmers’ Association.